The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-11-13
THOSE SQUIRRELS.

THOSE SQUIRRELS
Whoever turned those squirrels lose in Cir
Gle Park is public benefactor. He probably
builded better than he knew, for we doubt if
he expected to confer so much pleasure on
his fellow creatures. In the first place, he
made the squirrels happy. Squirrels in a cage
are out of their sphere-as much as man in
prison. They cannot fulfill their mission
there. They have no chance. They cannot
make the most of themselves. They cannot
show what is in them, nor do themselves JUS
tice. They have opportunity to improve
or develop themselves. A squirrel among
trees is very different creature. There he
shows out what he is and develops his posi-
bilities. In measure he fulflls his mission,
which is to run, skip jump, climb trees, curl
his tail over his back, pick up nuts and frag-
ments of nuts, and either gnaw pretend to
gnaw them. A squirrel cannot do any of
these things to much advantage in cage,
and some of them he cannot do at all. He
cannot run up and down trees in a cage. He
cannot curl his tail over his back without
brushing the ceiling, and he cannot jump
with any satisfaction. Of course Circle Park
is not like a forest of beech, hickory and wal
nut trees filled with holes and hiding places
innumerable, where squirrel can stow away
nuts and spend his leisure hours barking at
his neigbbors in the adjoining tree without
the risk of disturbing anybody or being dis
turbed. But the park resembles forest
more than cage does and beats a cage
much as a forest beats the park. Any squir-
rel that has once experienced the luxury and
freedom of the wild woods, hunted nuts
among the dry leaves, and perhaps occasion
ally stolen nubbin of corn from Farmer
Joness field, would find life in the Circle very
tame in comparison, but as between a cage
and the Circle the latter is vastly preferable.
Squirrels, no more than men, can have every
thing as they would desire. Squirrels cannot
control circumstances any more than we can,
and reasonable squirrel ought to find great
deal to be thankful for in the freedom of the
Circle, especially when he thinks how much
worse off he would be in cage. But it is not
only the squirrels that are made happy by
their being in the park; large number of
men, women and children also made hap
py. Perhaps this consideration is more
weighty than the other in proportion as hui
man beings are of more Importance than
enthusiastically the number of human
beings who enjoy the squirrels is much greater
than the number of squirrels that enjoy the
park. There is always somebody watching
the squirrels and sometimes quite a good
many people The squirrels do not
seem to care whether there many or few,
they perform just as we'll for small crowd as
for a large one. The audiences 1--WE say
audience, though it is a silent performance
are quite mixed, embracing both sexes, all
ages and people Of various conditions-city
people, country people, workingmen, profess
sional men, school girls and boys, nurse girls
with their charges, women on their way home
from market-all sorts of people Some watch
the squirrels by the hour tegether-these are
squirrels themselves, have more time than
they know what to do with. Others stop but
few minutes, but all are interested, amused
and somehow or other seem to be impressed
in 6. kindly sort of way. The little animals
are so innocent, so graceful, so busy about
nothing so unmindful of the noisy world
around them. 1t is a touch of nature in the
heart of the city, which reminds men Of when
they used to live on a farm and hunt wild
squirrels and sets them talking about the
- IL. L IL
when squirrels were so plenty. One
story leads to another, until nearly
every spectator has recalled some
long-forgotten Renaissance, half buried
among the rubbish of the past, like last years
nests among dead forest leaves. So they sit
there talking, watching the little animals
play, indulging pleasant recollections, wish
ing they were back in the old days hunting
squirrels again, wondering if country boys
hunt nowadays, if there are any squirrels left
in the neighborhood where they used to live,
etc. This sort of thoughts does not hurt
man. And of all those who watch the squir-
res not one would think of hurting hair of
their heads, or of their tails, either On the
contrary, every person seems to be self-ap-
pointed guardian for them. Even the newsboys
and boot blacks. who divide peanuts with
them, keep an eye on every passing dog to
see that no harm comes to the squirrels. It
would go hard with the boy dog that
would try to hurt them. They are every
body's pets.
MINOR MENTION.